


Slowly

by orphan_account



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: ChanKai, Fluff, Happy Ending, M/M, Sad Fluff, kaiyeol - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-17
Updated: 2017-06-17
Packaged: 2018-11-15 03:27:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11222313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Jongin loses his memory and it only takes one thing to get them back.There's a happy ending I swear





	Slowly

**Author's Note:**

> i'm so sorry, this is short because it hurt my feelings to write but I SWEAR the ending is good.

Jongin’s body felt heavy as his eyes slowly blinked themselves open, his eyes very briefly adjusted to being awake, his fingers slightly twitched as his hands rubbed very faintly against the cotton blanket. He didn’t recognize anything around him, he didn’t know where he was, a faint panic rose in his mind but before he could move he felt too heavy to do anything. The next feeling he processed was his mouth being bone desert dry, he turned his head to the side to see a person. A slumped over person with black hair and large hands that were rested on Jongin’s knee and thigh, the warmth of the hands registering. The man had large ears so Jongin thought, he compared his bronze skin to the milk toned one by lifting it barely and touching the soft hand. He realized he didn’t recognize this person, a slight tinge of fear ran through his mind as he lightly shook the hand on his leg, voice sounding small as he spoke “hello?” The person popped up out of a slumber before smiling widely at Jongin. “Oh my god you’re awake. Let me get the doctor real fast okay?”  _ ‘Doctor?’ _ Jongin thought to himself, he realized now where he was as the rest of his body finally registered. Searing pain in his head, chest, and right leg, arm uncomfortably positioned where the IV’s were prodded into his veins. Jongin squinted looking around the hospital room, he didn’t know how he got there, he didn’t know who that man was, he didn’t know anything about what was going on.

The doctor walked in with the man who was surprisingly very tall trailing behind, almost stumbling over the doctor. Jongin let out a giggle at the sight until the doctor went through the CAT scans of Jongin’s head, walking over to him. “Hi Jongin, I’m Dr. Zhang, do you know who you are? What day it is? Who he is?” He referred over to the tall man who was now sitting back down at the chair, he faintly spoke out. “I’m Kim Jongin, but everything else I don’t know.” Jongin watched as the expression fell of the other’s face. He remembered a good amount, his parents had died when he was 20, he liked to dance, and he liked chicken, plus his name was Jongin. Everything else was in fragments, the tall man was in fragments, cause the smile was familiar, and the hands were too. “I remember pieces of him, but not… not everything.” Jongin’s voice fell as he turned back to look at the doctor who met his eyes sympathetically. “It’s 2017, May 23. You got into a really bad car accident, a drunk driver hit you. You’ve been in a coma for two weeks. Your CAT scans show memory trauma but if you claim to remember fragments, science shows that memories can come back. If not, new ones can be made, I’m sorry.” Jongin’s lips parted in disbelief at the words the doctor told him, he lifted the hand not hooked up to IV’s to rub at his eyes, looking over to the taller man who rested his hand on Jongin’s shoulder. “You’ll stay right? Even if I don’t remember you?” He nodded, Jongin nodded in return. He didn’t remember his name, but he definitely can recall everything about his smile and his hands. 

The doctor exited the room after discussing Jongin’s release in a few days of monitoring. “You stayed here for two weeks? Where do you live? Where do I live? What’s your name?” Jongin watched the other hum with a faint smile, making Jongin smile in return. That feeling felt familiar as well. “I stayed here for two weeks until they kicked me out if the nurse staff was mean, that’s only on Tuesday’s though. Luckily for us its Wednesday. We live together in an apartment, I’m Chanyeol.” Jongin leaned his head against the bed, he remembered he was gay so now the thoughts worked into his head if this Chanyeol person was his boyfriend. “Are we together?” Chanyeol didn’t hesitate a nod, his large hands gently played with Jongin’s fingers. “Yes, we’re together. Have been for three years.” Jongin looked at Chanyeol, he pushed his brain to think of anything about him besides the smile and the hands, he felt himself get frustrated that his brain couldn’t draw up anything about his boyfriend. His boyfriend of three years, he forgotten everything about him, about them. “I can’t remember anything about you besides your smile and hands.” Chanyeol faintly chuckled, it sprung a small coil of butterflies within Jongin’s chest, the feeling was familiar too. “Well, you always told me they were your favorite things about me. Hopefully when we get home things will strike a chord in you, and if not we’ll go slow and make new memories. I love you, and I’d do anything for you.” Chanyeol’s deep voice vibrated in his mind of him saying ‘I love you.’ The fragmented vision was a grey room, black blankets, and Chanyeol’s lips to his hair saying I love you. “I remembered something from that! You saying you love me, in bed, the room was grey though, but you said you loved me in bed.” Jongin smiled to himself, it’d have to go slowly, but he felt confident in his memory coming back. 

 

His motor movements were fine, he didn’t require a lot of work but more so along the lines of exercising them out just to make them go back to being fully functional. He walked into the apartment with Chanyeol, his hands were folded, hanging and slightly propped up against his stomach as he swallowed nervously. He wanted his memory to all suddenly shoot back to him after seeing the apartment, but not one thought flooded his mind. Not one thought flooded his mind since the memory of Chanyeol saying he loved him, everything else had been blank and empty. He quietly made his way into the living room, a black futon couch sat pressed against the wall, an electric guitar hung over the couch that was framed. It had a signature on it, but Jongin couldn’t tell who had signed it since the penmanship was terribly sloppy. Next to the futon were two small tables, one with a lamp and the other with a vase, the flowers in them had died which in turn made a small pout jut onto his fuller lips. “There’s the pout.” Chanyeol chuckled quietly, Jongin turned around to look back at him, a small smile on his face. “What do you mean?” Chanyeol walked over to him, he was close but not too close just to insure Jongin felt like he had space. “Ah, your lips. They’re one of my favorite things about you, but I like when you pout the most.” Jongin felt a small blush color his cheeks as he shyly turned back to looking around. He saw pictures of him and Chanyeol, they did a bunch of stuff together. His lips were slightly parted as he felt a light hot tear slip down his cheeks. His fingers brushed against the picture frames until he stopped at one. He held it in his hands as he looked into the picture. Chanyeol and Jongin had their foreheads pressed together, wide grins on their lips, almost as if they were laughing since their eyes were squeezed shut. Heart shaped balloons were falling around them along with confetti, their hands were intertwined. The hot tears now progressed as he let them endlessly slide down his cheeks, mouth dry as he set it down, making his way around the apartment and then into the bathroom. He hadn’t looked into the mirror since, well, he can’t remember but he looked horrible. The bruise was turning into a light green hue as the stitches on his forehead were horribly hidden by his black hair, his arm was bruised from the IV needles, a small cut on the bridge of his nose, then cheek. His full lips were fine, his eyes were red from crying, and he didn’t need to look in the mirror to see the cast on his leg. 

“Jongin? What’s wrong hey hey.” Chanyeol walked over to him and held the younger in his arms in a very gentle but firm hug. Jongin brought his arms around Chanyeol’s neck and out of what Jongin felt like a habit, slipped his face in the crook of his boyfriend’s neck. His nose brushed along the soft skin of the crook of his neck, and suddenly another fragment came into his mind from the same day, in the bed.  _ ‘I love you so much, Chanyeol.’ _ , he heard his own voice say as he buried his face in Chanyeol’s neck the same way he did right now. He smiled very faintly at that memory, letting the tears continue to stream. “I can’t remember, I remembered something else from that day in the bed but I can’t remember and I want to remember us. That photo, with the balloons, I want to remember that. I look ugly too.” Chanyeol pulled away, large hands resting on Jongin’s side, eyes watery as a few tears escaped his eyes. “I’m happy you remembered something else. It’ll take time, we have time. And you could never look ugly ever.”

 

Jongin watched Chanyeol for the next few days while picking up stories about them. Chanyeol took Jongin to new places, since he said to make new memories to add onto the old ones if they come back. Jongin could understand with ease why he loved Chanyeol, he was grateful his feelings were there for Chanyeol, it seemed as if his heart didn’t let the feelings go. He loved a stranger, but Chanyeol wasn’t short on telling Jongin anything and everything about him. Jongin couldn’t believe how much Chanyeol talked, or how many jokes he had at the ready, how many things he knew about Jongin, how patient he was. The patience was everything, he had a giggle that Chanyeol was grateful that Jongin didn’t end up like one of those movies where he wanted nothing to do with Chanyeol, and Jongin simply responded with ‘my brain may have forgotten but my heart hasn’t.’ Which was true, his heart fluttered over almost everything Chanyeol did, and that in return made Jongin fluster with hope since he did remember the biggest thing about Chanyeol, Jongin’s love for him. He may have not remembered the details, but remembering the love was what would make Jongin want this even more.

Two weeks went by, more fragmented memories appeared. Jongin had a recollection of a date with Chanyeol involving a fountain, then another memory that involved sex that Jongin almost jumped up with joy to tell Chanyeol because if what he got from it was right, Chanyeol knew what he was doing. Things were coming back in bits and pieces, the doctor said it should all come back soon, he spoke of plenty accounts where it all came back at once by one certain trigger, but Chanyeol and Jongin weren’t finding it.

Their relationship was like it was at the beginning from what Chanyeol described, Jongin tend to bring it at a faster pace when he felt like it was ready, like now they cuddled and slept in the same bed, hand holding out in public which was only bringing more memories back of Chanyeol’s hands. Sometimes he regretted getting them since the images of Chanyeol’s hand turned him on, but he gathered from the memories that Chanyeol could play guitar. Jongin felt at home with Chanyeol, and learning everything about Chanyeol seemed to make him literally fall in love with him all over again. 

 

A month had passed, the memories were still in broken fragments. He sat at home reading through the news until he saw the picture with the balloons again. He stared at it, breathing out quietly with a loud huff. Jongin felt aggravated by now, he knew he should have been remembering everything by now, he wanted to remember everything. He wanted to be normal for Chanyeol, he wanted Chanyeol to be happy again. Jongin got up and left the apartment without bringing his phone, he didn’t care that it was raining, he didn’t know the address of where he lived anyway. He let his frustration lead the way, he felt like he was going the right way but he didn’t know where he was going until he showed up to the building. A dance studio, he hadn’t danced since the accident, he didn’t know if he remembered how to or if he was even at the right place. He pulled open the door to see a blonde man at the counter. He met eyes with the squintier eyes and saw the other’s thin lips pulled into a smile. “Jongin! Oh! Wow it’s you! Chanyeol told me everything, I’m Sehun. We’re friends, this is your dance studio, I don’t think he mentioned it since he said you’ll come when it’s time.” Jongin blinked a bit, this was his studio? It was very nice, he stepped over to Sehun and smiled faintly. “This is mine?” Sehun nodded, taking Jongin’s wrist very hesitantly in his hand and gave him a tour. He explained to Jongin that lessons were given here and he made a wonderful profit. Sehun led him to a dance room that needed a key, opening it up to see the walls painted a matte black, mirrors all around the room. “This is your private studio. I’ll be outside Jongin.” Jongin waved a goodbye to Sehun as he shut the door. The floor was a dark wood stain to match the rest of the dark room, he flipped on the first light switch to see just a single spotlight. He always had been dramatic, but when it came to dance he always liked to give a show when it was just him. Jongin stepped out to underneath the spotlight and it was like his body didn’t need memory, he began to dance the way he knew how to without really knowing. 

He took his frustrations out with spins, jumps, thrusts, slides against the floor, pops, locks, anything that he could perform without a problem, he did it. He landed a single backflip and dropped down to his knees, the only thing that could be heard was his breathing. His shirt clung to his sweat stained skin as his hair was slightly matted down to his forehead as his head lifted to see his reflection in the mirror. The bruise was gone, the stitches left a very faint scar into his forehead, his brown eyes watched himself as he scoot a little closer to the mirror. “I want to remember.” He whispered quietly.

If anything he felt more frustrated that he could remember but something wasn’t letting him. All the memories were within reach but behind something he couldn’t get around. He leaned his head forward against the mirror as he lifted himself up, and walked himself out the private dance room. He noticed he had danced for two hours as he caught a glance of the clock in the hallway towards the lobby. He smiled faintly over at Sehun, tilting his head to the side. “Do you know where I live?” Jongin felt stupid even asking that question but Sehun nodded until his eyes caught someone. “He does.” Jongin whirled around to see Chanyeol soaking wet, running in the studio. “What the fuck Jongin? I figured, I figured you would’ve been here but God, you didn’t even bring your phone. You don’t know where you are, you could’ve been hurt. Do you get that?” Jongin bit on his bottom lip in shame at making Chanyeol so worried. Jongin took Chanyeol’s hand dragging him outside to continue the conversation. The sidewalk was empty, the street was vacant, nothing but their breathing and the rain. “I’m sorry. I don’t even know the address of where we live anyway so I didn’t think bringing my phone was needed. I, I just needed to do something.” Jongin watched Chanyeol look at him in disbelief, the rain pat down against his skin, his already bigger eyes looked even wider as his expression was something else besides happiness or neutrality. “Do something? Do something? You don’t know where you are and you wanted to do something? Why did you need to leave?” Jongin tore his gaze away, hands covering his face. “I can’t fucking remember and I just want you to be happy, like you were in those fucking pictures and you’re not happy cause I can just, feel it or something I can feel it. It’s my fault you’re not happy.” 

He didn’t know when he had started to cry, but he wept into his hands starting to sink slowly down to the ground. He took a seat on the ground, wiping the water from the rain and tears away from his face as Chanyeol sat down with him, moving Jongin’s hands away from his eyes. “Jongin, you could have died in that car accident. I’m happy, what you’re feeling is guilt that you can’t remember and baby that’s not your fault. We’ve been going about this slowly, and we’ll be okay.” Jongin watched Chanyeol slip back into being calmer, he nodded at the words from the deeper voice in front of him. “I’m sorry I worried you.” Chanyeol’s hand reached up to cup Jongin’s cheek, tilting his head to the side shaking his head, a small sniffle sounding before he spoke. “Don’t be. I haven’t kissed you in a month and two weeks. Right now, your lips look so beautiful, you look beautiful.” Jongin hesitantly scoot in closer to Chanyeol, his nose rubbing up against the others as he held Chanyeol’s face in his hands. “Kiss me.” Chanyeol’s eyes slightly widened in surprise at the request “you sure?” Jongin nodded with a faint giggle. Chanyeol tilted his head to the side and let his lips very gently press to Jongin’s. Jongin connected his lips back to Chanyeol’s, the sweet taste of Chanyeol’s mouth combined with the soft lips against his own made him smile. Jongin felt Chanyeol smile into the kiss, a hand on the back of his neck and suddenly it was like a shockwave electrified his body.

The balloons, it was their one year anniversary that Chanyeol had set up. He made a scavenger hunt all around Seoul with stupid jokes that the punchlines led to the next place, Jongin solved it with ease. He arrived to the dance studio last that Chanyeol had bought for him under Jongin’s name and the once white room was now his private dance room. Sehun stood ready with the camera as he dropped cut the balloons free and let the confetti drop from set up buckets on the ceiling. Jongin remembered every lazy Saturday morning, every Sunday dinner, every Monday with Chanyeol whining about staying in bed, every Tuesday night listening to Chanyeol sing with his guitar, every single day, every moment of every minute and hour, he remembered. Jongin pulled away slowly, his eyes filled to the brim with water as he held Chanyeol’s face in his hands. “Park Chanyeol, I was driving out to see you for our date, and you said you had a surprise for me. The balloons wasn’t enough, and you told me the next day you’d outdo yourself.” Chanyeol’s lips parted in shock as now more obvious tears slid down his face as he held Jongin’s face in his hands, pecking his lips over and over while Jongin laughed. “Kim Jongin, I told you it’d all come I told you I told you.” Jongin threw his arms around Chanyeol, causing him to fall on his back, straddling over his lap as he smiled. “I love you, I love you so much.”

The overwhelming feeling of love swelled through his chest and mind, it was real, it was all here, he broke through the barrier with Chanyeol’s kiss. Chanyeol dug into his jacket pocket, pulling out a ring box as he smiled up at Jongin, pushing the wet black hair aside. “I told you I’d outdo myself because I planned on marrying you since I met you, and now that we overcame this obstacle, Jongin, please marry me. Please I love you.” Jongin looked down at the ring in the box and nodded, taking it out and sliding it on his finger before pressing his lips to Chanyeol’s once more, fireworks and love sparking off in his mind.

 

* * *

 

“Everything looks great Jongin.” The doctor spoke, it was a monthly check up, three months after regaining all his memories back and the brain rebuilt the tissues with the stem cell treatments they were doing. “Thanks.” Jongin held Chanyeol’s hand in his own, leaning his head into his fiances bicep as he smiled up at the doctor. “Settle on a date yet?” Chanyeol took over instead of Jongin, he loved boasting about being married more than Jongin imagined. “October 16 2018. Same day we met.” The doctor smiled, turning around to take the patient wristband off Jongin. “I’m happy for you both.” Jongin smiled up at Chanyeol, the most beautiful man he’s ever seen, “it all worked out, slowly.”


End file.
